Now Available: Video and Audio Recording of UVA Mormon Studies and Dialogue Journal Panel on “Race, Relationships, and the Life of the Church Now”

The Dialogue Foundation and the University of Virginia’s Mormon Studies program present “It’s Time We Began: Race, Relationships, and the Life of the Church Now” recorded live on April 25, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia, as part of Dialogue’s continuing “All Are Alike Unto God” series. UVA Bushman Chair of Mormon Studies Laurie Maffly-Kipp moderated the conversation between four Latter-day Saint scholars about the aftermath of the 1978 Revelation on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which opened up the priesthood to non-white men.

The panel began with Laurie Maffly-Kipp digging deep into what Professor W. Paul Reeve and historian Alice Faulkner Bush believe are ways church members can dispel myths about the priesthood and temple ban and use the scriptures to combat current racism. Then, PhD student Vinna Chowriamah and Professor Matthew Harris shaped the discussion on untangling and naming tensions for members around the world regarding race.

You can watch the full panel here or listen to Part 1 and Part 2 of the audio as Dialogue Journal Podcast episodes.